[KLUG Members] I want to be the master of tabs

[Bruce Smith]

I don't know if this will work for what you're trying to do, but you 
can use the "expand" command to change tabs to the correct number of
spaces.  Then add/subtract spaces as you like.  Then you can use
"unexpand" to put the tabs back in the file (replacing the spaces).


> If I have a text file with a tab character in it and I 'cat' that file,
> tabs are interpreted by ?bash? to display the next item of text at the
> appropriate position.  The appropriate position is usually with tabstops
> at multiples of 8 character positions.  How do I change the settings of
> ?bash,stty,whatever? to change 8 to something else.  The target program
> is not cat but all programs that send a tab to the terminal.  
> 
> I am using multi-gnome-term.
> I'm reading termcap and terminfo (the O'Rielly book) and it says that
> the termcap or terminfo does not control this.
> The real target program is the debugger for unibasic programs.
> I'd like to change the way the terminal behaves and not the programs.
> 
> I have tried
> man bash
> man stty
> man tset
> man tput ? does discuss but does not answer my question ?
> editing /usr/share/tabset/vt100
> editing /usr/share/tabset/std
> Orielly "Termcap and Terminfo".
> 
> I am still trying.

 
--------------------------------------------
Bruce Smith                bruce@armintl.com
System Administrator / Network Administrator
Armstrong International, Inc.
Three Rivers, Michigan  49093  USA
http://www.armstrong-intl.com/
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